Today, our young men and women in uniform are deployed around the globe. When our nation sends its military forces abroad, it does so under a solemn agreement with the American people: educate, train, and prepare our military personnel for the challenge of war before placing them in harm's way.

Training, however, requires substantial resources: air, land and water where military forces can train as they would fight—replicating the challenges, stress, discomfort, physical, and psychological conditions of actual combat. At present, DoD is responsible for protecting diverse environments on 30 million acres of land in 50 states and nine U.S. territories.

The Sustainable Ranges Initiative is working to expand efforts to sustain our training mission and protect the valuable resources entrusted to our care. Both are required as we endeavor to ensure that our men and women in uniform get the best training available. Our troops deserve the best. Their lives, and our freedom, depend on it.